Kaushal gang shooter held in Jalandhar

Police said the accused, Manjot Singh from Moranwali village in Hoshiarpur district, was a key shooter for the gang and was found to be instrumental in a plot to target a crusher owner in Himachal Pradesh

The Jalandhar rural police have arrested a shooter of the Balachoria-Kaushal extortion gang, officials said.

The accused in custody of Jalandhar police on Monday. (HT Photo)

The police recovered two country-made .32-bore pistols and two live cartridges.

They said the accused, Manjot Singh from Moranwali village in Hoshiarpur district, was a key shooter for the gang and was found to be instrumental in a plot to target a crusher owner in Himachal Pradesh. He was being used by the gang as a front to make extortion calls, police said.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh said the arrest was made on January 4 at naka at Adda Noorpur, near Grand Trunk (GT) Road, in the jurisdiction of Maksudan police station.

Khakh said that during questioning, the accused disclosed the location of an illegal weapon, resulting in the recovery of a .32-bore pistol from Una in Himachal.

“Investigations revealed that Manjot was a wanted criminal in an Arms Act case registered in Hoshiarpur, and a key operative of the Ravi Balachoria gang. The gang was using him as a front to make extortion calls to targets, including a prominent crusher owner in Himachal. He, along with his accomplice Jaskaran Singh alias Kari, was actively conspiring to intimidate and extort money from victims on behalf of the gang,” he said.

A case was registered under the Arms Act at the Maqsudan police station.